Day: October 11, 2026

1909 Harley-Davidson Model 5-A

By Joe Berk

That shot above is a nice one, I think.  It shows the subject of today’s blog, the 1909 Harley Model 5-A, with the rest of the Petersen’s Bunch exhibit in the background.

A 1909 Harley-Davidson Model 5-A. The Single was a better motorcycle than that year’s V-twin.

1909 was a good year for Harley.  It was the first year they made more than a thousand motorcycles, and it was their fifth year of production (hence this motorcycle’s name, the Model 5).    The Model 5 had several variants.  The 5 and the 5-A had 28-inch wheels and either magneto or battery ignition.  The 5-B and 5-C had 26-inch wheels with the same electrical system options.  And (pay attention here, folks) the Model 5-D had a V-twin engine as an option.  The V-twin was a bust.  It was cancelled after Harley had manufactured only 27 of the V-twin engines.

The Model 5-A’s 495cc engine. Check out the bicycle pedal arrangement.

Harley’s single-cylinder Model 5 motorcycles had a 4.3-horsepower, 495cc engine.  That engine could propel the Model 5 to an estimated top speed of 40 mph.

Did you ever wonder about the bicycle pedals and crankshaft you see on these motorcycles?  Yeah, me, too, until I wrote a piece on a Thor motorcycle a few years ago and deduced how it all operated.  The way a rider started these old bikes back in the day was, in a word, complicated.  It went something like this:

      • You made sure the oil line was switched open.
      • You made sure the gasoline line was switched open.
      • You put the bike on the center stand, which held the rear wheel off the ground.
      • You retarded the ignition.
      • You primed the engine.
      • You pulled in the clutch.
      • You switched the ignition on (if the bike had an ignition switch).
      • You pedaled furiously, until the rear wheel, tire, sprocket, etc. had attained sufficient rotational inertia.
      • You let the clutch out, which transferred the rear wheel’s inertia to the crankshaft.
      • You said a little prayer and, if the Good Lord was listening, the engine caught and started.

Today, we don’t even need to insert an ignition switch (some new bikes feature keyless ignition, like cars).  We just press the starter and go.  And we count ourselve lucky.  Until something breaks.  Then, we are at the mercy of modern motorcycle maintenance shops.  And they ain’t too merciful.

Ah, the good old days.

There’s more on the way, folks.  Stay tuned.